Powerful tips for living a healthy life
Website design By BotEap.comI want to live to be a healthy old lady who can dance and do yoga at 90. I think most of us want to live to be a healthy old person. Until there are new medical or scientific advances, our life expectancy in the US is approximately 78 years for men and 80 years for women. However, we have all seen people over the age of 80 leading full active lives. What are the secrets to it? I think we need to look at our body, mind, and spirit together to find out what keeps us living longer and healthier. Take a look at what some studies have shown us about living a longer, healthier life.
1. I call this point the 3 Ps. The P stands for positive thinking, purpose, and passion. Almost every study done on centurions shows us that people who have a purpose or passion in life do better than someone who doesn’t. This does not mean that if you were an engineer and retired you can no longer have a purpose. Perhaps the retired engineer takes up teaching or writing. If he loses his job and is down on the economy, he could volunteer at a homeless shelter. Do you see what I’m saying? Each person’s purpose in life is different and can change at different times in their life. The point is that it makes you feel fulfilled and eager to start the day.
Also, almost all research studies show that people who practice optimism live longer lives. Possibly negativity has direct biological effects on our body, causing changes in our immune system.
As a side note, it also seems that people who are mindful tend to have a better life expectancy and live healthier lives. There have been some generalizations that these types of people promote a good and healthy lifestyle based on their personality type.
2. The next point to talk to you about is action. Numerous studies have been conducted showing that active people reduce the risk of age-related diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and muscle problems. A study comparing more than 9,000 pairs of twins found that the active twin lived better than the sedentary twin and that there were some changes at the cellular level of the sedentary twin. Also, if adults in their 50s and 60s are regularly active, they are 35% less likely to die in the next 8 years than sedentary people. For those with underlying risk factors for heart disease, they had a 45% reduction in health problems. The activity can be walking, gardening, dancing, or a formal program. However, the activity must be regular and frequent.
3. Obesity is at the epidemic level in our country. If you’re overweight, you’re at higher risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, stroke, liver and gallbladder disease, sleep apnea, and mobility problems. Losing weight is a hot topic. It’s too long to go into this article, but you should be well informed about your food, calorie, and nutrient intake. Antioxidants should be a part of your diet as they kill free radicals in our body (which we get from the environment) that increase our aging process.
4. Managing our stress has become very important in our lives today. It is a fact that if you suffer from chronic stress your levels of Cortisol (a hormone) in your body increase which can weaken your immune system. When your immune system is weakened, you are more prone to contracting diseases that could compromise your health. Many corporate employers and wellness programs have stress management classes seeing the need to reduce stress.
Meditation is a way to relieve stress. If you meditate for 15 minutes a day, it has been shown to be more effective than 1 hour of sleep.
Other relaxation techniques can be yoga, imagery, music, or biofeedback.
Laughter also reduces stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. Laughter also works as a natural pain reliever.
If you have a pet you have a natural stress reducer at your feet. Pets trigger a relaxation response that lowers your cortisol levels. Patients recovering from serious illness are 6 times more likely to heal better and faster if they have a pet.
5. Sex is good for us. It gives us a sense of connection, of being appreciated and loved, as well as reducing our stress and making us feel relaxed.
5. Learn and practice letting go of life’s ups and downs. We all have them and are tested many times in our lives. People who have some sense of spirituality or a belief in something higher, or outside of the forces of life in this universe, sometimes handle this point a little better. But if you have a good support system, that can also make a big difference.
I think it’s not so important what you’ve been given in life, but what you do with it. We have resources to help us live to a mature and healthy old age. Medical technology has progressed remarkably in the last 100 years, and perhaps the best is yet to come. As you can see, I am optimistic.
1. I call this point the 3 Ps. The P stands for positive thinking, purpose, and passion. Almost every study done on centurions shows us that people who have a purpose or passion in life do better than someone who doesn’t. This does not mean that if you were an engineer and retired you can no longer have a purpose. Perhaps the retired engineer takes up teaching or writing. If he loses his job and is down on the economy, he could volunteer at a homeless shelter. Do you see what I’m saying? Each person’s purpose in life is different and can change at different times in their life. The point is that it makes you feel fulfilled and eager to start the day.
Also, almost all research studies show that people who practice optimism live longer lives. Possibly negativity has direct biological effects on our body, causing changes in our immune system.
As a side note, it also seems that people who are mindful tend to have a better life expectancy and live healthier lives. There have been some generalizations that these types of people promote a good and healthy lifestyle based on their personality type.
2. The next point to talk to you about is action. Numerous studies have been conducted showing that active people reduce the risk of age-related diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and muscle problems. A study comparing more than 9,000 pairs of twins found that the active twin lived better than the sedentary twin and that there were some changes at the cellular level of the sedentary twin. Also, if adults in their 50s and 60s are regularly active, they are 35% less likely to die in the next 8 years than sedentary people. For those with underlying risk factors for heart disease, they had a 45% reduction in health problems. The activity can be walking, gardening, dancing, or a formal program. However, the activity must be regular and frequent.
3. Obesity is at the epidemic level in our country. If you’re overweight, you’re at higher risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, stroke, liver and gallbladder disease, sleep apnea, and mobility problems. Losing weight is a hot topic. It’s too long to go into this article, but you should be well informed about your food, calorie, and nutrient intake. Antioxidants should be a part of your diet as they kill free radicals in our body (which we get from the environment) that increase our aging process.
4. Managing our stress has become very important in our lives today. It is a fact that if you suffer from chronic stress your levels of Cortisol (a hormone) in your body increase which can weaken your immune system. When your immune system is weakened, you are more prone to contracting diseases that could compromise your health. Many corporate employers and wellness programs have stress management classes seeing the need to reduce stress.
Meditation is a way to relieve stress. If you meditate for 15 minutes a day, it has been shown to be more effective than 1 hour of sleep.
Other relaxation techniques can be yoga, imagery, music, or biofeedback.
Laughter also reduces stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. Laughter also works as a natural pain reliever.
If you have a pet you have a natural stress reducer at your feet. Pets trigger a relaxation response that lowers your cortisol levels. Patients recovering from serious illness are 6 times more likely to heal better and faster if they have a pet.
5. Sex is good for us. It gives us a sense of connection, of being appreciated and loved, as well as reducing our stress and making us feel relaxed.
5. Learn and practice letting go of life’s ups and downs. We all have them and are tested many times in our lives. People who have some sense of spirituality or a belief in something higher, or outside of the forces of life in this universe, sometimes handle this point a little better. But if you have a good support system, that can also make a big difference.
I think it’s not so important what you’ve been given in life, but what you do with it. We have resources to help us live to a mature and healthy old age. Medical technology has progressed remarkably in the last 100 years, and perhaps the best is yet to come. As you can see, I am optimistic.